Forgot My Heart
by Tessela
Summary: In a nasty fatal accident Danny ends up forgetting half of his memories. Now helping him go through the motions of regaining them, Valerie hopes she doesn't lose the man she loves in the process. ValxDan
1. PTA

**Chapter 1**

 **-V-**

 **PTA**

Valerie's heart dropped when she saw the blur of black rocket past her. It shot straight through a building before colliding with a brick clock tower with a nasty slap.

"Danny!" She screamed, turning her head to catch sight of him but the innards of the building caved in and blocked her way. She turned her angry eyes back to their target and charged at them.

Jazz flew up next to Valerie in the Fenton Peeler. The face shield slid up. "Valerie, go to Danny! I'll handle this ghost." With that, Jazz flew past her into the fray. Valerie slowed her board and turned it around away from the fight to fly after him. She whizzed through the ruins of gaping building on her hoverboard and to the clock tower where Danny's form was cratered into the brick. "Oh my God," she breathed as her hands lightly touched his pale, cold face. Crimson blood seeped through his silver hair and ribboned across his forehead. It was clear he had a bad concussion and Valerie needed to move him fast.

She peeled his body from the crater and lugged him onto her hoverboard, careful of his twisted arm and sickly broken leg.

"Just hold on Danny. You can't fall asleep. Stay awake for me please." Her voice was calm but laced with fear as she spoke. It was enough for Danny's conscious to deem it safe enough to transform back. He was bleary-eyed and tired beyond words, but still was conscious.

Valerie flew him to Amity Park Hospital where she transformed out of her suit in nearby trees and rushed Danny through the doors.

 **-V-**

Valerie sat in the waiting room wringing her hands dry in her seat. After she rushed him in, the doctors had pushed her aside to get Danny into the O.R. It was long, dreadful six hours before a nurse stepped out to see her. Valerie had been on the phone with Maddie Fenton when she approached.

"Thank you so much Maddie, we really appreciate it. See you when you get here." With that, Valerie hung up the phone.

"Mrs. Fenton?" Said the nurse.

Valerie jumped from her seat. "Yes?"

"Your husband has been stabilized. He has a concussion, a broken arm, and a few broken ribs that are minor." Said the nurse but Valerie could feel something was missing in her words. Valerie ceased to listen to the nurse and walked past her into Danny's room.

The first thing she saw when she opened the door was Danny's bandaged head. His leg was propped up in a cast along with his arm. His body was hooked up to numerous tubes wiring along his bedside, dripping him vital fluids.

Valerie released an uneasy breath as she stepped carefully to his bedside. She slowly pulled a chair to him and gingerly ran her fingers along his cheek. Color seem to have returned to them and he felt warmer than his did earlier. His breathing was normal and besides the obvious mummy look he was sporting, her Danny looked fine.

Valerie smiled. "You barely made it this time Ghost Boy. You had me worried." She leaned over and pressed her lips against his. Valerie pressed a hand to her mouth as she yawned. All the waiting and worrying that she did was catching up to her and sleep was heavy in her being. She laid her head in her arms against his bed and sighed one last time.

 **-V-**

Valerie felt something stir against her. At first, she ignored it, but remembering where she was, her eyes popped open. She jerked from her sleeping position to see Danny stirring in his sleep.

"Danny?" She whispered, coming closer to his side.

"Hm…" He groaned as he moved his head. "My head is killing me…Where am I?"

"Danny, you're here with me, Valerie." She smiled. "You bumped your head."

"Valerie? Where's Sam?" His eyes slowly opened and examined his surroundings. He first looked at the ceiling, then the room he was in. The tv was on and muted with the Amity News playing. His eyes then slid to the caramel skinned woman that looked like she's seen a ghost.

Well she wasn't far off…

"Sam?" She repeated the words carefully and Danny looked back as if it was obvious.

"Uh, yea, my _girlfriend_. Where is she? Where's Tucker?" Danny tried to sit up but the pain in his head was unbearable and he fell back into his pillow.

"But Danny…Do you recognize me?" Her voice wavered as she spoke. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Yea, Valerie. I thought you moved away…Why are you here?" He eyed her skeptically, he watched as her eyes watered, the shocked expression never leaving her face. He quickly grew worried as she fumbled to her feet from his bedside.

"Nurse…" Valerie said as if it was an afterthought. "Yes…I'll-I'll get the nurse- NURSE!" Valerie quickly stood and ran from the room.

When she returned, she brought a slew of people trailing behind her. They all stood around Danny's bed, talking and prodding him. Like earlier, Valerie ended up getting ushered out the room again while they worked.

Even more worried, she waited outside the door for another thirty minutes before a few doctors stepped out, talking in hushed voices amongst one another.

"So...?" She drawled out in frustration to the group of doctors, using her hands to illustrate for them to speak to her.

The primary doctor stepped up and cleared his throat. "It seems Daniel is experiencing Post-Traumatic Amnesia from his concussion. His memory seem to only allow him to remember up to when he was seventeen-years-old."

"Seventeen…" She whispered. "That's one year before we reconnected. What will happen to him? When will he get his memories back?"

"Well Mrs. Fenton, it can be a number of hours, days, weeks, and in some rare cases, months and even _years_ before Daniel could regain his memories." Her face fell as his last words. _Years_ before Danny could remember his life up to this point. The doctor's words scared her.

"For now, surround Daniel with familiar faces and try to jog his memories with pictures, shows that he loves, and objects. Anything helps. Just be careful not to overwhelm him. He's in a very delicate state right now.

We will continue to keep him for overnight observation and continue to run tests." With that, his doctor stepped aside to allow Valerie entrance.

Valerie walked back in to see a confused Danny staring at her intensely with confusion and intrigue. For the first time since he woke up he eyed the strange woman who claimed to be his best friend, _Valerie_. She looked like Val, but older and curvier. Her long, dark curly hair looked tousled and put into a sloppy bun atop her head as a few coily strands fell to frame her heart-shaped face. Lack of sleep and tiredness was evident in her features as dark marks circled her beautiful Hazel-green eyes. She sat back her seat and pulled it up once again to his bedside.

"Do you know what the doctors say is wrong, Danny?" She spoke with a small smile.

"Apparently, I have amnesia and can't remember parts of my past."

"What can you remember?" She gently took his warm calloused hand into her softer ones and soothingly rubbed the back of his hand. Danny felt uncomfortable as she did so. The action was too intimate for just friends.

"Last thing I can remember is…You moved away, and Sam and I were on our date and Tucker got a scholarship to M.I.T…" Danny continued to list the things off from their junior year of high school and Valerie listened patiently until he finished. They sat in silence as Valerie worried her lip and Danny fished his tired brain for the missing pieces of his memory.

"Hey, Valerie." He called out. She looked up from her lap and smiled.

"Yea?"

"I really appreciate you being here for me, but can you call Sam? I want to see her."

Valerie felt her heart twist. "Sure thing, Danny. The gang should actually be here really soon.

 **-V-**

 **Writing for this pairing has been in my mind for a long time since I rewatched the series! Hope you guys enjoyed it and leave a review!**


	2. Homecoming

**Chapter 2**

 **-V-**

 **Homecoming**

Danny's hospital room was soon flooded with gifts and get-well cards as news quickly surfaced of his injury and absence from the ghost fighting scene. An anchorwoman was currently speaking of said incident on the small TV monitor and Valerie sighed. This spelled trouble for her later with ghosts thinking this was their free time to cause destruction.

Relatives and close friends flowed through Danny's hospital room with well wishes and gifts they handed over to Valerie. Danny was shocked to see the aged faces of familiar people and became confused when presented with a new one. Valerie was more than happy to help him get reacquainted with new people, explaining that they would come later on his life as a good ally and friend and spoke of their contributions to their lives.

Jazz and her husband eventually came to visit Danny. She knocked on the door before letting herself in and gave Valerie a sympathetic smile before hugging her.

"I'm sure Danny will get his memories back in due time." She softly assured, and Valerie could hope that was the case. "Mom and Dad couldn't make it-for obvious reasons they had their hands full and had to stay behind but she had me bring you a change of clothes and a bag of other items for the...situation." Jazz gestured to her chest with a raised brow.

"She gave these to me when I needed them, and they really do help. I'll put them in one of the cabinets in here." Said Jazz.

"Thanks Jazz, I really appreciate it. Be sure to send mom-Maddie and Jack my love when you see her again." Valerie smiled and Jazz turned to hide the bags somewhere in the private hospital room.

When she returned, she beamed at Danny. "Hey little bro, how are you doing?"

"I'm feeling a little better than before. Last night I had a dream about several random moments from highschool year but the biggest one was homecoming from senior year and _man_ was it weird." He laughed awkwardly. He remembered him and Sam arguing all that night because he had fought several ghost before picking her up in his then ripped up Tux. Her parents wouldn't even allow her out the house until he marched on and put on another Tux.

"That's great, I'm glad you're regaining back memories. I want you to re-meet someone. My husband-" She smiled as she grabbed the man's hand standing next to her. Danny's eyes widen as his lips moved to finish her sentence.

"Dash Baxter?" He breathed. "You married Dash?!" He nearly yelled.

Jazz shrugged, unphased by his shock. "What can I say? I had a soft spot for the big oaf. Seems he had a little romantic one himself." She eyed him adoringly.

"Jazz is my everything and I couldn't love anyone more." Dash returned with equally adoring eyes.

"How?" Danny was still speechless and a little perturbed.

"I gave him a chance and we went on one date. He then started to write me poetry and I loved the way he eloquently described my brilliance, beauty, and charm. We've been in love since then." In that moment, Jazz and Dash leaned in for a kiss and the mere sight of it made Danny's vision go blank as a part of his brain throbbed.

" _Jasmine Fenton, do you take this man, Dash Baxter, to be lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold…."_

 _Danny sat there with the most disgusted feeling in his stomach that he masked behind a dark scowl. He couldn't believe he was sitting at Jazz and Dash's wedding! The guy who use to bully him married his big sister! He couldn't believe it! The fact that the two were even going out for as long as they did before he proposed was a mystery in itself! They were so different in every way of the word but as he looked over at his mother and father who were balling their eyes out- his father blowing his nose into a pink handkerchief, he got an idea where Jazz got her attraction to bulky jocks from. Apple never fell far from the tree._

 _As much as he wanted to object their union, Dash's watery eyes and Jazz's shaking voice as she recited her own made vows stopped him. He knew they were in love and he wouldn't sabotage it as long as it made Jazz happy. Besides, he wasn't the only one in an unlikely relationship as he looked down at the brown hand gripping his own tightly._

 _A little voice crept into his ear. "Stop scowling like a child. it could be worse- she could have married Tucker." At that, Danny nearly gagged, he turned to see the amused eyes of…_

"Danny? Danny!" The light in his vision began to dissolve as the first person he could make out was Valerie's overly concerned face and his primary doctor both on either side of his bed.

"Are you alright? Speak to me!" Valerie grabbed his hand in the same manner as she did before, rubbing the back of it soothingly.

"I'm fine...I think I just had a flashback again. Maybe you two kissing triggered a traumatic moment for me." Danny rubbed his head soothingly as Jazz was a mixture of irritated and scared for her brother. Even with half his memories missing, he could still be immature Danny.

Valerie's eyes was hopeful."What were you remembering?"

"Jazz and Dash's wedding…" Danny turned to the couple who looked taken aback. "I remember you two going out for a while before Dash proposed...And it still grosses me out."

The doctor took out a pen and wrote down what Danny had said before speaking. "Yes, your strong feeling of disgusted connected to that memory triggered it and minor pieces as well you probably remember. It's completely normal as much as scents and sounds can trigger nostalgia. I'd say you're on a good path to remembering, albeit hopefully something not as traumatic for you next time around, eh?." The last words were said in amusement as he walked towards the door.

"Please speak up however, if remembering causes you immense pain or distress." Danny nodded before looking back at Jazz as the doctor exited.

"Don't you have kids? For some reason, the Baxter Brats keep ringing in my head." Jazz sighed in irritation.

"Yes we do, two sons actually and _yes_ you called them that _**all the time**_!" Jazz rested her hands on her hips accusingly and Danny laughed.

"I remember that!" He laughed before scoffing. "No offense, but your kids are brats."

"Whatever Danny," Jazz rolled her eyes.

They all talked a little more and Valerie excused herself to go change into the clothes Jazz brought her. Despite feeling a sense of security from seeing his sister, Danny constantly found himself staring at the door, waiting for a familiar duo to walk in and reunite with him.

 **-V-**

After Jazz left, Valerie came back dressed in new clothes: a pair of black yoga pants and a baggy navy sweatshirt. She noticed the mild anxious look on Danny's face as she sat down. "Valerie, do you know when they're coming in today? If they're still coming in?"

"Patience Danny, they'll be here soon." She smiled.

"I know but…I really don't know any of these people anymore. Not even Jazz." His eyes grew sad and it panged her. "I just really want to see them more than ever. To feel some type of familiarity. I keep feeling like they're the only ones who haven't changed after all these years."

"I understand ho-Danny." She quickly caught herself again before calling him a term of endearment. "They'll be here real soon." With that, they fell back into a comfortable silence as the small TV talked and Valerie was reading get-well cards and tabs on gifts.

Danny turned his sapphire eyes to look at the haggard woman and wondered out of everyone that visited him today, why was she still here? He decided to ask. "Valerie, why are you still here? Don't you have a family too in this time?"

Valerie pretended like his words didn't affect her too much. "Not exactly, but its fine."

"I don't want to take you away from your family."

"No worries, Danny." She gave him a sincere smile.

Just then there was a knock on the door.

"Danny?" The first voice was filled with a rich, timbre and it was accompanied by a more feminine one.

"Move out the wayTuck! Danny? Are you there?"

Danny's eyes widened as he tried to sit up in bed. "Sam? Tucker?"

"Hey buddy!" Sam poked her head in and Danny's jaw nearly fell.

"Sam?"He eyed the raven haired woman who smirked at him.

"Looks like you hit your noggin' pretty bad bud." She laughed as she came to his bedside. Her hair had grown out past her shoulders and she wore a black designer trench coat over a black slim dress with a lavender belt. Her eyes were darkened with eyeliner, but her lavender eyes were still filled with a warmth.

"Long time no see." Said Tucker who flashes him a smile. Danny couldn't believe how deep Tucker even _sounded_ since their junior year.

Danny beamed from his bed as he motioned for them to take a seat, Valerie politely stood to give Sam her seat. She decided to make a list of 'Thank You' letters to occupy her time while the trio caught up.

"So what have you guys been up to since senior year?" Asked Danny, still taken aback by how mature they've gotten. Tucker had traded in his simple cut for long dreads that he kept underneath a red, yellow, and green beanie. He looked beefier than his scrawny teenage self but still had his familiar nerdy aura around him that was hinted with maturity from his years as being the mayor of amity park. Danny remembered that Tuck was still mayor throughout highschool but decided that he wouldn't rerun coming his college years.

They began filling him in on their life. Sam was an art dealer that majorly collects dark, victorian, and melodic pieces. She travels the world mostly by herself as she wasn't married or had any children or pets, but for the most part, she was happy.

"Wow," Danny breathed. "We're still all close right?"

"Well, sort of." Said Tucker guilty. We all actually kind of fell off after high school. We all tried to keep in contact, but it was really difficult. We would really just hang out whenever Sam and I would come back into town for Christmas or Thanksgiving.

"What?! I can't believe that, we're damn-near family!" Danny threw out his good arm to emphasize his point.

"But, the past shouldn't really matter now because we're all her now!" Sam tried to lighten the mood. "We're here Danny and I'm not going anywhere till you're better." She rested her hand over his and smiled. Danny returned the smile.

They talked a little more while Valerie pretended to watch the small TV monitor. She wanted to give the trio their private time to remininsense but she also wanted to be at Danny's side incase of anything. After their chatter began to die down, Sam finally acknowledged Valerie.

"So how have you been since we've last seen each other?" Sam forced sincerity in her voice for the sake of Danny. Even if he didn't remember anything, she still wanted to be cordial.

"I've been getting by fairly well. How's traveling the world going for you?" Valerie smiled with a hint of genuine sincerity. She knew Sam was trying and truthfully, Valerie had buried her side of the hatchet years ago. They weren't friends by a long shot, but she could stomach sitting in a room with Sam nowadays. However, Valerie was more than capable of switching into her bitch mode when need be. But this wasn't that moment, so she simply smiled.

"It's going great." With that, their moment or cordiality was finished and Sam nodded once before turning back to Danny.

Danny and Tucker watched the swift interaction with mixed emotions; Tucker having a knowing look in his eye as he's been through this before, and Danny who simply looked a bit confused and intrigued. From what he could remember, Sam almost threw a party when Valerie finally moved away with her dad. The two couldn't even be in a room for than 20 minutes at one point as Sam would have an attitude and Valerie wouldn't mind catching one too. This new shift in attitude had a clear sign of growth from both parties and it really made him interested.

"Am I missing something here?" Asked Danny. He really wanted to address the elephant in the room. "How are you two getting along so well?"

"Well, it's because you told us to." Sam rolled her eyes.

"Woooow, I gotta remember that moment." He laughed but Sam and Valerie couldn't share in his amusement. They rather not remember that tearful moment in their past that nearly broke them all apart.

"Anyway Danny," Sam tried to change the subject. "How long they say you're going to be here?"

"Well, considering I have ghost powers that's allowing me to quickly regenerate, I think I have another week here before they release me. I should be in a boot and a sling by then hopefully."

Sam nodded thoughtfully, "Sounds great!"

"Yea, the moment you get out we need to celebrate!" Said Tucker.

They talked a little more before Tucker had to leave to visit his parents for dinner. He gave Danny a handshake with his good hand and hugged Sam. Valerie smiled and thanked him for visiting which he then pulled her in for a hug, muttering something along the lines of her being family.

A nurse knocked on the door before cracking it to peak her head in. "I'm sorry to intrude. It's time for Daniel's bath." She spoke and Sam and Valerie nodded before standing out in the hall to give Danny privacy. Valerie may be his wife, but she didn't want him to feel anymore uncomfortable by her presence than how he was now.

They sat in the waiting room but didn't say a thing to one another. The tension in the room began to grow thick as a jungle. There were words that needed to be exchanged but none were said until Sam grew tired of the silence.

"Valerie...listen." Sam sighed. "I know this must be hard for you and it's hard on all of us that Danny's going through this."

Valerie's smile was tight. "Sam, with all due respect, you can't even begin to know what I'm going through right now. My husband almost died. My husband doesn't remember that he's even married to me. My husband still thinks that _you're_ his girlfriend and calls for you every ten minutes. Sam, how can you even begin to process how I feel right now?"

Sam's anger flared. "You're not the only one feeling some type of way! I haven't seen my best friend in _years_ and the time I finally get a phone call, its to hear he's in the hospital! You weren't the only one scared for his safety!"

"Well Sam, no one told you to move away! No one told you to not pick up a phone and call! A conversation goes two ways last time I checked."

"You're right Valerie, and that's why I'm going to be there for Danny until he gets his memories back. I'm not leaving until then. I want to be there for Danny the way I wasn't for all those years." Valerie looked at her as if she grew a second head.

"You're joking right? I won't allow you to influence him in his vulnerable state."

"The doctor is right Valerie; Danny needs to be around a familiar face and that face is me, Tucker, and his family, people who he is _close_ to." Sam was assertive as she spoke. "People he remembers."

Valerie didn't like that jab, her eyes narrowed warningly.

"I understand that but you forget one simple thing: I am his **wife** , I'm his primary caregiver by default so you can't just up and take him from me." Valerie was right and knew the doctors would side with her if this became a legal battle.

Sam stood up from her seat, slinging her purse over her shoulder. "If you really care about Danny, you will do what is best for him. We're what's best for him."

"Oh please Sam," Valerie stood up as well when the nurse finally left the room.

"Just know Valerie, when you go back in there, it's not you who he asks for." With that, Sam turned around. "Tell Danny something came up and I had to go." With that, she departed from the hospital, leaving Valerie clutching her twisted heart.

 **-V-**

 **Thanks for reading and tell me whatcha think!**


	3. Coming Home

**Chapter 3**

 **-V-**

 **Coming Home**

Sam continued to visit Danny in the hospital as she promised. Everyday, promptly at the same time, she popped her head in and Danny lit up like a Christmas tree. They talked, they laughed, Danny confided in her and Valerie felt irritated each time. But she promised herself she wouldn't nag and intervene unless Sam crossed the line, so she tolerated it.

Today, because of Danny's ghost powers allowing him to regenerate remarkably well, the doctors cleared him to go home and Valerie was more than please to hear. While Sam kept him company in the hospital, Valerie decided to go home and prepare it for Danny's welcomed return. She packed away family pictures, sealed up photo albums and even moved away his battle suits and her own into a private closet so he wouldn't get an inkling of their relationship so soon. She stood in her living room feeling tired as she took another once over and her eyes landed on a big problem she nearly forgot about.

It was their wedding photo, mounted high and proud above the mantle. Valerie smiled fondly. She had been standing in her giant white ball gown with her veil haloing behind her and her makeup was nearly rubbed away from all the tears she shed through the ceremony. Danny held her close against his chest in the photo and all their family and friends crowded around them in smiles that reached their eyes. Her eyes landed on Danny's friend, Tucker who beamed happily, one hand clapped on his shoulder and slowly dragged her eyes to look at Sam's insincere smile. No matter how much Danny loved this photo, she hated it for that one fake smile.

Valerie went to the kitchen to retrieve a bar stool and came back to take down the giant photo. She walked down her hall to a room and opened it. Inside, she exhaled through her nostrils, not wanting to look at the empty cradle while she sat the photo to the side. As she walked out, she locked that specific room behind her.

Valerie stood with her back against the door as tears welled her eyes. She shook her head to rid herself of the tears and sighed the ache from her chest. She didn't know if it was still her hormones settling or genuine pain that led her to flat out crying as she gathered her things to leave the house. Whilst wiping away her sadness with her sleeve, she packed Danny's clothes for leaving the hospital, hoping- _praying_ that coming home would do Danny good and she could finally get her family back.

The ride back to the Hospital was somber as she drove. In the parking lot, she took the opportunity to fix her face in the car before plastering a smile and motivating herself as she walked through the hall to Danny's room.

Valerie reached for the doorknob but her fingers stilled against the handle as a faint voice flittered into her ears. It was Sam. "You should think about it. The doctor cleared you to leave and I can't stay in Amity Park for long but you could come with me Danny, and we could be together like old times." She said, her voice pleading. There was a pregnant silence as Valerie fumed. _How dare she!_ Valerie's brow furrowed indignantly. They already had this conversation and the woman still went behind her back!

Valerie was just about to barge in and wring her little neck out when Danny spoke. "I..I don't know Sam." She stilled once again. "I was so happy to see you guys and you really did make me feel at home, but something in me tells me to stay here. I still want to protect Amity Park from ghosts and whoever hurt me is still out there and...and...for some reason, there's something here I feel tied to. It's a nagging feeling in my head really but I should trust it, I think. I hope you understand."

Sam sounded bitter. "Well, if that's your decision then I will respect it. But know, what happened between us was entirely my fault. I shouldn't had treated you like I did and I took you for granted. I know you forgave me when you still had memories, but I still live with the constant guilt and regret Danny. I just want to make it right again. I didn't lose a friend, but I did lose someone I love."

"Thank you Sam-" Valerie opened the door to two shocked faces. Sam had her long raven hair down but her bang tied back reminiscent of her signature high school hairstyle. Her face was red and eyes swollen with tear streaks. Her anger flared at the sight of Valerie and she quickly fixed her demeanor.

She turned away from Valerie, her eyes softening on Danny. "If it's alright with Valerie, I still want to visit you after you leave the hospital until I leave Amity Park."

Valerie's anger seemed to simmer down to sympathy. "Of course you can Sam."

With that, she gathered her coat and purse and with a hug to Danny, she left herself out the room. Danny looked down at his bandaged hands, lost in thought.

"Are you okay?" Valerie rested her gentle hand over his, feeling his body tense in response.

"Yea...Sam asked me to go with her…" Danny felt the warmth of her hand comfort him during his moment of confusion.

Valerie averted her eyes, slightly guilty. "I..umm...Overheard your conversation." She moved to sit at the edge of his bed.

"So you know, huh?"

"Yes," She whispered.

"Valerie," he said after one more moment, lifting his sad blue eyes to her.

"Yes Danny?"

He spoke for a moment but retracted the words. He took a second to iron out his thought before sighing in defeat. "Can you tell me more about the end of high school?"

"Of course Danny." She smiled as she took out her phone to show pictures. Danny shyly suggested she share the bed with him so he could get a better look at her phone. Valerie climbed in the side of the bed and snuggled herself a respectable distance, being careful not to interrupt any of his tubes.

Her index finger shifted through her photo album, quickly swiping her from any current pictures, much to Danny's chagrin. He had hoped to probably see a sexy photo or maybe even something more to tease Valerie about but she didn't allow it. She scrolled to a picture of their graduating class and handed him the phone.

"This is graduation day. There's you, Sam, Tucker, Paulina, and Dash."

"Wow," Her laughed lightly. "We all look so grown up. What ever happen to Paulina and Dash? "

"Paulina went to college for fashion but ended up someone's trophy wife midway through. Dash became a frat guy and majoring in partying- that is before your sister came into the picture and straightened him out."

"Wow, it took Jazz to turn a block head into a fatherly block head." They laughed.

"What happened to you? I vaguely remember you leaving with your Dad."

"Well" She spoke. "My dad and I moved to Chicago for a while and I attended private school there and after high school-"

"You and I went to the same college." He said, jogging his memory.

She smiled. "...Yes. You and I went to same college together miraculously and reconnected." She looked on at the pictures fondly before scrolling on. She was mindful of keeping her fingers away from scrolling into their college years and the part of the photo album that stored their engagement photos and wedding pictures.

When they finished, she asked. "Are you ready to go home?"

Danny raised a brow. "Where's home?"

"Well...until you're better, you can stay with me- if that's fine with you, if you much prefer, you can stay with Maddie and Jack?"

He contemplated: go home to his parents who will probably drive him insane and overwhelm him or take his friend and former love interest's request. He loved his parents but didn't need all his memories to know that nothing has changed one bit about them. "Nah, I think I'll just stay with you...but will your...significant other mind?"

"No, I don't think so. He's technically..not around… but he wouldn't mind if I'm helping a friend in need."

 **-V-**

Danny walked into the home and felt a feeling of nostalgia wash over him. He felt his chest swell with comfort and love as he walked through the threshold. Valerie spied a small picture of him and her together and quickly slammed it down on its face as he walked through the door.

"So this is where you live?" Danny quietly marveled.

"Yep."

"Did I use to visit a lot?"

Valerie was hopeful. "Yea..you did actually. This will be your room." She showed him to a guest bedroom and he walked in. It was simple enough but it felt empty compared to the rest of the house and the niggling feeling in the back of his head wouldn't relent.

After she got him settled in, she quickly began to make dinner but gasped when she forgot the bottles in the sink. She quickly cleaned them and stored them away in the high shelf with the good China in it.

She got started on preparing dinner and poured herself a glass of wine as she did. After a while, Danny came into the kitchen and sat in one of the high stools. He didn't like the way the stool felt and decided to sit in the middle chair where it was a little more comfortable. Valerie tried not to laugh as he discovered his favorite seat at the table. He watched her cook with wide childlike eyes, recognizing the familiar scent wafting through the kitchen.

"Meatloaf?" He asked.

"Yep, your favorite."

"How did you know?"

Valerie shrugged teasingly. "You're my best friend, I just know these things"

"Wow" he laughed. He watched her more as she moved around the kitchen, taking in her body as he did so. She was wearing a pair of skin-tight jeans that hugged every curve of her body and showed off her well endowed bottom that strained the poor belt keeping her jeans up. He felt his mouth water as his eyes dragged up to her waist that was hidden underneath the baggy V-neck but didn't hide away her breast that were running over the cup of her bra, not noticing the insert that peeked from inside her bra. He felt all his blood run south and sat uncomfortably in the chair. He didn't realize what he was doing until he shook all the impure thoughts from his head- what was he thinking! This was his best friend who opened her house to him and here he was thinking nasty thoughts about her.

Still...It wouldn't had been the first time he entertained those thoughts to an extent, they _did_ date at one point after all and he did invision her in many ways on his lonely nights with his hand, but this time is different. They were older now and from what she told him, she was already spoken for. So he tried to keep his thoughts to a respectful one.

Valerie didn't miss his longing glances at her rear or how his eyes lingered on her chest. She reveled in the fact his attraction to her still persisted but she couldn't deny that she wasn't feeling or looking the best aesthetically and her breast were still very sore even with the gel pads against them.

"So, about your...boyfriend. Where's he at?"

Valerie took a long sip of her dark wine and racked her brain for something to say. "Hero business...He's sort of a...Hero."

Danny nodded mutely. "Really? That's...great. I'm glad you found someone." He said, but Danny didn't know if the truly meant that.

"Thank you," She poured another glass and hoped he dropped the subject.

"...How did you meet?" Valerie nearly choked.

"Through... _you_. You introduced us. He's was a friendly rival of yours. You guys often got into competition." _God, I'm such a liar._ She inwardly cringed.

Well, her little lie seemed to have satisfied the halfa as he digested her words.

" I'm kind of happy some things are starting to make sense at least."

"What do you mean?"

"The way you act now to me and the way you are with Sam and how you've been at my side like glue through my whole injury. The fact I introduced you to the love of your life. We must have really been gotten close in college." He surmised.

She nodded. "You're completely correct; we were always in each others dorm room, talking after class and going to parties." She left out the other explicit details and watched Danny fight to turn on that light bulb in his mind, He wanted all of what she said to click but nothing.

She downed the rest of her wine and heard the oven ding and pulled the meatloaf from the oven. She took out a knife and sliced a healthy portion of the loaf for Danny with his mash potatoes on top.

He was shocked she even knew the way he liked his food arranged and thanked her. They ate in silence, him enjoying every bite of his dinner and Valerie watching him with hidden adoration. They had light conversation about life in Amity Park. Valerie had got him up to speed with a lot of the ghosts- who left, stayed, and settled down in the ghost zone. She told him how many have become allies of his and retired from mischief in Amity Park. She also warned him how their kids were not as friendly and often they would battle them, finding that they were stronger and a little more cunning than their parents.

Danny absorbed all of what she said as gospel. He was shocked that so much changed, he hardly knew anything about his life anymore. After dinner, Valerie began to clean the dishes and Danny stood to help.

"You don't have to," She smiled. "I got it. Go sit and relax."

"No, I insist." Danny grabbed the plates from Valerie's hand and went over to the sink.

"Wow, you really must of hit your head pretty hard. The old Danny would never offer to help." Valerie mocked with a laugh but Danny frowned.

"Was I… a jerk?" His brow furrowed.

Valerie's eyes widened. "No no! I just meant that you were always tired and couldn't really help a lot. You are the sweetest person Danny. I'm sorry for confusing you."

They finished the rest of the dishes in silence then made their way to the living room where Valerie poured herself a cup of water. Danny looked visibly uncomfortable.

"Is there something the matter?" She watched him awkwardly stand in the middle of the room before settling on a loveseat.

"I just get this nagging feeling about this place. Something feels off about it. I can't put my finger on it, but this room feels really... _empty_."

Valerie rested a hand on his knee. "Don't stress yourself to remember anything, it'll come back to you Danny." She smiled but Danny could smell the alcohol on her breath and saw sadness hidden behind a veil in her eyes.

They retired into their rooms for the night. Danny felt uncomfortable in the foreign room. He tossed and turned before settling on staring at the ceiling until he exhausted himself. Valerie laid in her King sized bed alone with teary eyes and silently wept until she tired herself to sleep.

 **-V-**

Thank you for reading! Sorry for the long update. I had bad writers block. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and leave a review!


	4. Daniela

**Chapter 4**

 **-V-**

 **Daniela**

"I'm so proud of you. My little baby boy is growing up." Remarked Maddie Fenton whilst walking down the corridor. Young Danny smiled uncomfortably while watching as his mother fought her tears. He looked away to read the numbers on each door they passed and stopped at one he knew was his own. He looked down at his copper-colored key and inspected the numbers written in a fine red sharpie. It was a match.

Jack Fenton swiped away his tears in the most masculine way he could muster and raised his chin up. He and Maddie were never this emotional when Jazz when off to college-

Then again, Jazz opted more to stay home than pay room and board at any school.

So, this moment was more bittersweet for the couple to send their son off to school in Chicago. Danny seemed not perturbed about the prospect of being so far away from home and jumped at the opportunity to analyze the ghost-scene here in Chicago and promised to text and call them every day until he settled in comfortably (But they all knew this was more for their benefit of missing him than his own).

Danny opened the door to his dorm and met the eyes of someone already sitting on a bed. The halfa jumped back in a slight surprise before giving them a polite smile. The person stared blankly at Danny for a moment before their lips slowly turned upwards. The movement was enough to send warning chills down Danny's spine and he inwardly sighed. ' _Great, I think I'm rooming with a weirdo...I wish Tucker was here instead._ ' Danny attempted a greeting and stuck his hand out to the stranger.

"Hi, my name is Danny Fenton." He smiled. The stranger looked at his hands for a moment and Danny felt an awkwardness seeping into the exchange. The stranger slowly lifted their hands as if a delayed action and shook Danny's. A chill seeped into his bones and Danny knew at that moment, this guy was more peculiar than he thought.

"My name is Zue. Nice to meet you." Zue's fiery magenta eyes glinted Danny's reflection unnaturally in their orbs and Danny felt the intense need to break their pleasantries. They released their awkward handshake and Danny moved back to assist his parents in unloading his belongings. All the while, he could feel the unnerving stare of Zue's eyes watching him carefully.

The two shared a room and bathroom but had two full beds on the opposite sides and a catwalk of hardwood flooring that separated their respective spaces. Zue had already marked his territory with his items aligning his shelves and desk. His bed was neatly made with a dark green comforter and matching pillowcases and it seems Danny had intruded into the middle of Zue reading a book while lounging on his bed.

Danny gave his roommate one more glance before fully turning his attention back to his parents who were fussing over how to decorate his space.

 **-V-**

Maddie and Jack made their leave after spending more time with Danny at an on-campus cafe where they made their heartfelt goodbyes to their son. Danny felt a little hurt in his chest as his mom gave him a tight hug accompanied by his father's bigger stature enveloping them both. The couple left, leaving Danny to travel back to his dorm alone finally in the new big bowl he was going to have to swim through for four years.

When he returned, he climbed the stairs to his floor and walked down the hall just as he did before. Since it was approaching night time, he saw more new students excitedly hopping from one room to another and most of the floor's dorms were open to attract new potential friends. Danny noted how his floor was shaped almost like a divided square in the designing aspect. On one side of the square was the girl's dorms and on the other side was the male dorms. His room was at the very corner that looked down the hall to a female dorm.

Danny didn't know anyone from a can of paint at this school, and he was uncharacteristically reluctant to stick a hand out and meet anyone new. Yet, his roommate was furthest from who he wanted to interact with now. The raven-haired man passed by girls who flowed down the male halls and poked their heads through open doors to introduce themselves. He walked to the end and spied his dorm was tightly shut to any potential visitors.

' _Hm, I guess Zue isn't the friendly type either_ ' He deduced. Danny mentally weighed whether he was ready to awkwardly sit in his dorm and turned around to assess what he could do instead and spied the dorm down the hall that led to the female dorms. The door was open and he could see a shadow of someone moving around and walked towards it. With some type of courage, he didn't know he had, the halfa poked his head through and smiled.

"Hi! I hope you don't mind, I just saw your door open and I…" His words trailed off as he watched the figure jump at his intrusion. She turned around and her green orbs caught him in pure surprise. Danny felt his words choke in his throat and his mouth hung slightly ajar as he marveled in bewilderment.

"Danny…?" Said the figure as she took a step closer. Her eyes sparkled as she spoke his name and he felt his heart flutter at the sound of it rolling off her tongue, like gentle chimes in the summer breeze. Danny, realizing how he might look, snapped his mouth closed before it could catch flies. He straightened up and stepped into the room and instantly scooped the woman up in a tight embrace.

"Valerie!" He cried in happiness as he wrapped his strong arms around her. He took in her tart scent of fresh green apples and the argan oil in her hair. It sent him a spiraling sense of nostalgia that comforted him immensely at that moment. All the while, Valerie hugged against his chest, noting how solid his body felt against hers and realized Danny didn't feel like a scrawny teenager anymore.

They reluctantly released each other and proceeded to ply the other with multiple questions at the same time. Danny wanted to know everything about her since she moved away. She also plied him with an equal amount of questions regarding Amity Park and ghost hunting.

"How is the ghost scene here in Chicago?" Asked Danny who took a seat on her bottom bunk bed.

Valerie visibly winced at the thought. "You don't wanna know, they're rougher here in the big city than our mischievous suburban ghosts. I've fought seven on the way here! But, we have a network of hunters here who collects and banishes ghosts, so I'm not alone."

"Wow, when do you guys meet?" Danny's eyes widen at the thought of an underground network of people like Valerie.

"We meet once a week, usually Sundays when everyone's free."

"Who's your leader?"

Valerie's smile widened. "Me, I created the network. I've trained my highschool peers and other people to do it since I moved here."

"Wow...That's amazing." She wanted to laugh at how shocked he looked.

"Yea," She looked away bashfully outside her window that overlooked her Lincoln Park campus. "But I'm sorta stepping down to focus on school. A lot of us are stepping down since we're in school now."

She looked back at him and stared into the depths of his blue eyes. "I'm going to actually be sorta normal now." A warm smile graced her lips and it caused Danny to match it. The word normal was anywhere but in their vocabulary, but as they looked at one another and listened to the laughter and happy footsteps and chatter of other normal students in their hallway, they realized they felt almost a part of the fabric of normalcy and they were excited for what it held-

Danny's body jerked sharply as he gasped from his sleep. He stared in wide-eyed shock at the emptiness of the darkroom with the only indication of time being the sun's pink rays creeping behind the trees outside his window and allowing in slithers of light.

He remembered that time. He and Valerie went to the same college in Chicago and he remembered that moment they shared rooms across the hall. He fell back into the plush of his pillows and ignored how hot and uncomfortable he had gotten in his restless sleep.

His head throbbed at the memories forcing their way back into his consciousness. It was a dull pain behind his eyes and across his head. He slowly settled back into his pillow and willed his tired mind to get rest.

 **-V-**

Danny couldn't believe he was here.

On top of Valerie and she looked as nervous as he was.

He's done this before, giving his first go-around with Sam but this time was different; he didn't know the contours of Valerie's body and he was hesitant to have to inflict this pain on her.

It felt like so much time had passed since she sashayed into his dorm room and told him her roommate would be gone for the weekend and wanted him to hang out in her room. He and Zue were playing Smash bros when she arrived at his door in a school shirt and blue shorts.

Zue- who he had found out had a big thing for Valerie, had asked to join, but she politely told him she had to tell Danny something important. The secret couple barely made it down the hall with their steamy kisses and foreplay and their clothes had gone cold from their fleeting heat after being tossed aside at her door. They were too occupied to climb her top bunk so they fell onto her floor instead and made out heavily in each other's arms until they gasped for air.

Finally, Danny had positioned himself on top of Valerie and took out the rubber he kept in his wallet. She watched with a mix of anticipation and natural fear for what was about to transpire. She felt his member pressed against her warm core. He smiled reassuringly to her "Its gonna hurt a little but you can do this. If you want me to stop at any time, I will."

He leaned to kiss her all while sliding himself inside her unyielding womanhood. Valerie's body instantly tensed as she gripped his forearm and cried out against his lips. Danny's heart twisted and he pressed his lips harder into her, all while shamefully reveling in the utter tightness that enveloped him. Goodness gracious, it's been a while.

He had finally nestled himself deep enough inside her and kissed her neck affectionately, unwinding her legs from the tensed up position they were, pinching into his sides.

"How do you feel?" He asked warmly.

"A..little in pain but alright." She smiled weakly, her eyes glossed over in unshed tears.

Danny decided to go slow with his thrusts and began to move his hips fluidly. Valerie closed her eyes and felt his lips back against hers. She gripped his hair and wrapped her legs around his waist as Danny took that as a cue to stroke slightly faster and deeper.

Valerie's body responded positively to the change and she felt a pleasant pressure building up in her. She moaned against his lips and pulled away to be more vocal.

Danny felt himself come over the edge and with a few more good pumps, he spilled his seed inside the condom.

He abruptly yelled this time as he jumped from the bed, drenched in sweat.

"My God," he groaned as he grabbed his head and rubbed his temples. What had he just remembered? He and Valerie. In college, getting it on?!

 **-V-**

Valerie watched in covert concern as Danny played around with his oatmeal. He looked worse for wear since he dragged himself out of bed. She heard him wake out of his sleep abruptly since their rooms were next to each other, and she almost jumped out of bed but stopped herself after she listened to him settle back in his sheets.

"I remembered something last night." Danny started, "I remembered us in college, in Chicago."

Valerie quietly gasped, her hopeful eyes peering intently on him. "Anything else?"

Danny shook his head. "No, that was it, the last thing I remembered was us sitting in your dorm on move-in day." He wasn't ready to broach the other memory he had of being between her legs, taking her virginity and feeling her grip him in painful pleasure. The memory sparked his interest, but it also was a little weird for him to mention too.

Valerie turned away, trying to hide her disappointment. She nodded her head as she took in his words. "Ah, I see. You and I were both in Roosevelt Hall." Said Valerie. _Right across_ from each other. You came to me one night and we talked all night while my roommate was at a party." She laughed.

She continued, "When my roommate wasn't home, you use to spend the night talking to me till we had class in the morning." She also omitted the fact that on one of those nights Danny came over and they made out and touched each other for all of ten minutes before they couldn't take the lack of proximity and skin and Valerie ended up losing her virginity to him that night. After that, they would bounce from each other's rooms trying to experiment with different sexual kinks like horn dogs.

Danny was thoughtful as he took it in. "I didn't know we got so close."

'You don't even remember the half of it, baby.' She thought with an eye roll.

"Do you still have that underground network?"

"No, I stepped down senior year, but I hear they're going stronger than ever. Do you remember anything else?"

Danny hummed thoughtfully. "Yea, I remember Zue, my weird roommate." Valerie's eyes darkened at the mention of that name.

"Zue," his name dripped venom from his lips. "Do you remember more about him?"

Danny shook his head. "Why does it sound like you hate him?"

Valerie was uncomfortable as she contemplated her next words.

"Zue is evil, Danny. He hurt you really badly and he's the reason you have no memories."

Valerie's heart ripped from her chest watching the color drain from Danny's face.

"What?" He whispered tersely. His head tried to force memories to come to him, but all he received was a more aching headache. The room seemed to become brighter as the pain in his head became acute. He crushed his eyes closed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Just as he felt he was going to boil over at the overwhelming pain, he felt a cool, soothing hand rest on his face. His eyes snapped open and locked against alarmed green ones. Valerie tried to soothe him and pressed his head against the warmth of her chest. He felt a sense of familiarity and security. He rode out the passing headaches and clung to Valerie as he did so, feeling it take everything out of him.

Valerie almost didn't realize how intimately she was holding him, but she didn't care as she soothed his aching head. "Please don't exert yourself, I shouldn't have told you something like that in the state you're in."

After Danny felt enough to sit on his own, the young woman scrounge around her kitchen for a cup and Danny's medicine to give him.

"Here, the doctor says this should help with the headaches, from your concussion," She opened a few different bottles and laid out a small assortment out to him on a napkin.

Danny frowned. "I hate pills, just as much as I hate oatmeal." He pushed away his bowl in a child-like manner.

Valerie placed her hands squarely on her hips. "Daniel Fenton, if you do not eat this oatmeal, so help me-"

"So help me God, I'm gonna force it down your throat." Danny finished in his mocking manner, rolling his eyes as he did so. "Yea, yea, you always say…" He stopped and they both exchanged a shocked look. "You always...say that when you make me oatmeal." He quietly finished.

"My goodness, how many times have you forced oatmeal down my throat?" He laughed nervously.

"More times than you can imagine. You're such a child when it comes to things like this." She pushed the bowl back much to his chagrin.

"Nope, not gonna happen," he deadpanned her.

Valerie huffed as she narrowed her eyes at the halfa. Suddenly, she saw he had an idea.

He smirked mischievously. "I might eat it, only if you spoon-feed me."

"You ghost brat…" Valerie lifted his spoon ushered some delicious oatmeal his way. Danny shot her the most handsome smile as he raised his palette to take in her spoon, revealing a hint of his ghostly sharp canines before biting down on the spoon. Valerie tried not to blush as he chewed in triumph, scooping him another dollop of oatmeal.

Danny liked the way he made Valerie huff. Her brown cheeks were tinted red as her eyes averted under his gaze. It made a feeling in his chest swell at her beauty even while annoyed at him. When he finished his breakfast, he reluctantly downed his pills with a glass of water.

"So Danny, I have to go somewhere really quick and I'll be back soon. Try not to leave or draw attention to the fact that you're here in case there's some ghost lurking around. Sam should be here soon to keep you company too." Danny finally noticed that Valerie was fully dressed in a white strapless top that barely concealed her hardened nipples poking through and generously hugging high waisted jeans that cuffed at the hem above the rim of her Chelsea boots. She shrugged on a denim jacket and slung a black backpack over her shoulder.

Before trotting out the door with her hoverboard, she turned to give Danny one more smile but it faltered at the look of fear lurking in his blue eyes. He was afraid to be alone by himself in a world that was still virtually new to him.

Guilt gnawed at her gut but Valerie reasoned with herself that this other situation needed her far more. Besides, Sam texted her that she was down the street. Valerie walked back over to where Danny was sitting and grabbed his hand the same way she did at the hospital.

"It's going to be alright Danny. I swear I'll be back as soon as I can and I'll whip you up something you'll love for dinner. Plus, there are still leftovers in case you get hungry." She smiled. Danny laughed nervously.

"I'm not worried or anything, I just feel a little weird as all. What if I have an episode when you're not around. Does Sam know how to deal with it?"

"She can call me if anything happens. I have to go now." Valerie's phone began to ring off the hook and she quickly fetched it from her back pocket as she walked out the door.

"Dad?"

"Valerie, am I glad to hear from you!" Said Jack Fenton on the other line between the sound of wailing in the foreground. "Daniela is not a happy camper right now! We ran out of milk, so we tried to give her formula, but she hates it. She's been wailing all night long without even so much as a 7th inning stretch. It's driving me bonkers."

"I definitely hear." Said Valerie as she hopped on her hoverboard and headed that way. "I'm heading there now with some bottles. I figured she was going to hate the sudden switch to formula."

Valerie flew towards Fenton Works that since has gotten a few needed renovations since their ghost hunting family joined forces. The home looked more and more like a lab than its previous brownstone appearance and brought up most of the block to accommodate its new look. Valerie landed at their doorstep and took her own key to unlock the door.

The first sound she was greeted with was the unholy wail of a halfa baby piercing her ears. Valerie slapped her fingers to her ears as her eyes winced at the onslaught of pain. She scanned her eyes and found most of anything made of glass in the house was shattered and everywhere. Sitting in the living room with a dead look in their eyes was none other than the Fenton Hunters. Jack turned his tired eyes towards the young woman and all but chucked her beautiful bundle of joy in her arms.

"Here, take her!" Valerie quickly took the baby from him. "Now, I may finally sleep." With that, he fell out on the floor in an instant. Maddie took haste to join her husband in collapsing on the ground next to her him, both fast asleep.

Valerie gazed her eyes down at the tiny child and delicately wiped a tear away. She smiled warmly with all her heart as the child's cries settled to whimpers at the familiar feeling of her mother holding her. Her little eyes gazed open to her best friend and a tiny hand reached out to pat her chin.

Valerie chuckled warmly and stepped over her inlaws to take a seat on the couch. "Are you hungry, my little ghost girl?" Valerie was grateful she chose her specific top and pulled down one end to release a breast. She latched Daniela on and rubbed her back as the baby began to suckle. Valerie hummed a random tune as she examined her baby. She reached and played with the cute loose curls beginning to grow in and caressed her cheek. Her baby's beautiful eyes began to roll back as she finally closed them in contentment all the while still suckling.

"How have you been Daniela?" Asked Valerie. "Mommy hopes you're treating grandma and grandpa well." She didn't expect the infant to dignify her with an answer while she was busy biting Valerie's nipple from time-to-time.

"Did you know Daddy is getting better? soon he'll remember the both of us and I'm sure he's going to love you all over again. I bet he won't be able to contain himself when he gets better. You're his little ghost girl after all." She chuckled at the overbearing father that Danny was growing to be over his first child. Valerie sighed as she continued to watch the baby whilst rubbing her little back.

It was something so intimate about a mother nursing her child, she remembered her first moment of latching Daniela shortly after she was born. It was a bit daunting at first to do it in front of Danny, but it only made the moment more beautiful in his eyes, he nearly shed a tear.

He had read up on so many books and overly prepared for his first child, a child with his ghost DNA nonetheless. He was so proud when Daniela was born, he held her before anyone else could and felt a sense of belonging with her being a halfa just like him. It was similar to how Danny had come to be a father figure for Danielle, raising her and having her live with them before she went off to college.

Daniela eventually felt full enough and Valerie adjusted her top and went on to burp her. After cooing over her adorable burps, Valerie held her child until the young infant finally fell asleep.

Stepping over her inlaws again, Valerie made her way to their bedroom where she laid the child down to rest, holding her breath as the child stirred before finally resting. Valerie kissed her forehead and crept from the now sound home. She filled the fridge with her bottles for Daniela and laid out fresh blankets, clothes, and diapers for her as well.

When Valerie returned home, She fumbled for her keys and unlocked the door. Inside, she seemed to have been interrupting something personal. Too personal for her tastes.

There, Danny and Sam were staring deeply into each other's eyes with Sam's hand resting on his cheek and smiles on their faces. Her eyes also spied their fingers interlocked in his lap. Valerie wanted to run over and wring Sam's neck but instead, she cleared her throat and the two broke their trances and quickly turned their eyes to their intruder.

"Am I interrupting?" Valerie tried to contain her seething anger bubbling beneath the surface of her words.

Danny and Sam were sitting in the living room with their feet on her coffee table and letting a movie play. Sam shot Valerie a look almost as if she was the intruder in her own home but Valerie had no energy to deal with the woman when she had just had to forcibly leave her newborn baby across town. Her postpartum was making her near the brink of tears, but more than ever she just wanted some normalcy. She wanted her husband, she wanted her baby, and she wanted that bastard Zue to taste the end of her blaster.

Danny tried to break the tension. "No you weren't, Sam just bought over a cheesy goth flick for us to watch-"

The gothic woman looked comically offended at his description. "I'll have you know this is regarded as a classic amongst the occult genre." Sam rolled her eyes mocking with a smile as she tossed some popcorn in her mouth, ignoring the daggers Valerie was shooting her. She was wearing a purple smokey shadow that fell away to her equally purple blush. She looked like a beautiful marionette doll with her hair pulled back into a half ponytail that fell with beautiful luscious curls and her iconic triangle bang. She was adorned in a black, silver, and purple tweed dress that looked awfully expensive paired with black stockings and shiny black boots. Valerie was absolutely envious of how more appealing Sam managed to look compared to her worse for wear appearance. She decided to just move away to the kitchen to get dinner prepared.

Nonetheless, she noticed Danny's eye wander over his shoulder a few times to catch glances at her as she moved about the kitchen area to get dinner ready. She noticed he finished off the rest of the leftovers and cleaned the rest of the dishes.

"Do you need any help with dinner?" Danny offered, feeling a little weirdly guilty to have been caught so close to Sam in Valerie's home.

Valerie resisted the urge to pour herself a glass of wine, instead, she went wracking around her cabinet for a more herbal alternative to calm her nerves. "No, I'm fine, thank you though.." She gritted angrily. She made herself a cup of tea and got back to chopping ingredients.

Sam instantly took it as her cue to get the hell out of dodge. She didn't anticipate Valerie to return so soon and knew she had a lengthy argument waiting for her later. Even so, she doesn't regret her actions, instead, she wished she was able to lean in close and do more with Danny.

She smiled down at the man who looked a mixture of indistinguishable emotions, the confusion being stark against the others mixing beneath his ocean orbs. Sam quickly concocted an excuse to return in order to do more paperwork for a collection of Victorian portraits coming into her hands and took her to leave.

As Valerie heard the door close behind her, she tried to hold in the tears and anger boiling inside her. She wanted to turn and slap that man across his face and tell him that he was a married man with a newborn and shouldn't be almost kissing another woman in their home!

But she couldn't, it wouldn't be fair since he didn't know any of that information anymore. But it didn't make the pain in her chest any less painful.

Danny turned off the tv and sauntered in the kitchen to sit in his favorite spot as he watched with puppy-dog eyes, Valerie gathering ingredients to and filing the table with the variety of spices from the cabinets.

"Smells so good~" Danny groaned with a grumbling stomach.

"Just wait till you have my dad's gumbo."

Valerie switched on some music in the kitchen from her soundbar above her cabinet as she moved about cleaning her seafood and chopping sausage for her boiling pot.

"Can I help?"

"Sure! Do you wanna take over for me here?" She handed him the knife and showed him which vegetables she wanted him to cut up. Valerie watched with careful eyes as he took a moment to figure out how he was going to approach cutting the okra since his arm had healed. She could see the apprehension in his shaking fingers and decided to assist.

Danny was taken aback from his thoughts as he flinched at the sudden heat pressed against his back. Valerie's arms wove under Danny's since his width was too wide to encircle him. Her gentle fingers wrapped around his more rougher ones as she carefully positioned his hands to begin slicing through the raw vegetable. "Just like this," she said warmly. Danny allowed her to guide his hand all the while aware of their proximity.

"Now you go ahead," She smiled and turned around to get the pot ready.

The two spent the rest of the evening preparing dinner together. Danny felt a sense of inclusivity that gave him a grip of normalcy that he hadn't felt since he woke up.

 **-V-**

"You lowdown bitch!" Valerie bit into her phone angrily. "You're never invited back here."

"Excuse me?! After you left him so distraught in your living room earlier? I'm the bitch!"

Valerie wanted to scream. "I had something important to do! _I. had. To take care. Of some. Business!"_ She emphasized heavily.

"While you're out 'taking care of business, you're not doing your job as a wife or friend if you leave a sick, scared man all alone and gripping to the first person to give him attention!"

"That doesn't mean you prey on that scared and lonely feeling to confuse how he feels!"

"Valerie, give it up, you're not what he needs,"

"Stop telling me that! I'm doing the best I can," The tears welled in her eyes and started rolling down her cheeks. "I have more on my plate than you can imagine and I'm not getting much help from you when you're trying to take him away from me!"

"I'm not trying to take him away..." She lied. "If Danny wants to be with me, even with all his memories, he has that right."

Valerie was shaking at her words. "Don't ever let me catch you around here again. Goodbye Sam." With that, Valerie pressed the 'end' button on her phone and sighed into her hands at the edge of her bathtub. She wiped the tears away and quietly wept as more fell from her eyes.

After a moment, she heard a knock at the door and stiffened. She reluctantly stood up and opened the bathroom door, meeting a pair of concerned blue eyes staring down at her.

"Hey...are you okay?"

Valerie frowned deeply. "Did you hear anything?"

"No, not really, I just heard you...crying." his voice dropped at his last word, feeling uncomfortable at the thought of intruding on her while she clearly wanted to be alone.

Valerie tried to ease his concern with a sad smile. "I'm sorry, I'm just a little overwhelmed, as all."

"May I sit with you?" he gestured inside the bathroom.

"Of course" She allowed him entrance and they both sat at the edge of the tub.

"I know this can be a little much with all that's going on. Just know, if I can become too much of a burden for you, _please, please_ , let me know. I don't want to be the cause of you in here crying at midnight, all alone." she watched his brows furrow and his eyes grow warm and tender.

Valerie tried to smile through her tears and cupped Danny's chin. "You're definitely not too much, ghost boy. Please don't think you are. You're my best friend and I'd do anything for you and I mean it."

Danny smiled in response and pulled Valerie in for a tight hug. He took in her scent, tart apples and fresh jojoba oil in her hair sent sparks of visions in the back of his head. Visions that involved running his fingers through curls, tasting the brown sugar of her skin and relishing in the touches that she brought that warmed a trail under his ghostly cold skin. It sent chills down his spine and pleasure ebbing the blood in his veins. He pulled back to stare into her dark emerald eyes with a renewed sense of the woman in his arms.

Valerie looked momentarily perplexed at the sudden surprise look on Danny's face and she reached to cup his cheek. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yea," he breathed, a throbbing feeling following the sparks of memories like magazine cutouts in his mind. "I think I need to lie down now."

 **-V-**

 **I really hope you all enjoyed it. This and the next chapter has been sitting somewhat done for a while now, but I just didn't know if I liked it or not! I decided to get out of my own head and just post it lol.**

 **Cootles to the reviewer, SweetestChick for figuring the hidden child! Poor Val, she has so much on her plate.**

 **Thank you for reading and tell me whatcha think!**


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